All that Glitters
by RedZipBoots
Summary: Have the boys' fortunes changed at last?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was less than an hour since the first tiny snowflake had drifted down from the leaden sky and now the snow was falling so thickly the two riders were finding it difficult to see beyond their horses' noses.

Hannibal Heyes pulled his horse to a halt so his partner, Kid Curry, could catch up. Removing his hat he quickly shook off the accumulation of snow from the brim before replacing it firmly on his head, angling it low over his eyes. He shivered and pulled his collar up closer to his ears. His old grey coat felt like it was starting to wear thin - it certainly didn't keep him as warm as it used to. Watching Kid riding towards him snug in his thick sheepskin jacket, Heyes thought, not for the first time, that he should get himself one too.

"We need to find somewhere to shelter," he called through chattering teeth.

"Y' think?" Curry returned sarcastically.

"Hey! It's me who don't like the cold." Heyes was a little put out by his partner's attitude.

Kid instantly regretted his bad humour and softened his tone. "I may not feel the cold the same as you, Heyes, but it don't mean I like it. Anyhow, I don't know how we're gonna find somewhere to shelter. I can't hardly see anythin'!"

"At least this snow is covering our tracks. Anyway, we can't turn back - we have to put some distance between us and Four Trees."

" Yeah, yeah. Are you sure that sheriff had his eye on us?"

"I'm sure."

Kid let out a deep sigh. "I guess lookin' over my shoulder all the time just makes me kinda proddy."

Heyes nodded. He knew exactly how his partner felt.

The small mining town of Four Trees, nestling at the base of a mountain in northern Utah had been a welcome sojourn and, for a few days, they had even felt it might be somewhere they could stay for the coming winter. But, as was often the case, the sheriff had begun taking a little more interest in them than Heyes was comfortable with and it had been decided that it was time to move on...again.

All the signs that there could be fresh snowfall in the mountains had been evident before Heyes and Curry had ventured onto the little-used pass which they had hoped would prove difficult to traverse and so deter anyone from following them. However, since the snow had set in, it was turning out to be a great deal more difficult than either of them had anticipated.

The former leader of the Devil's Hole Gang twisted in his saddle trying to see what evidence remained of their progress and also what may lie on the trail ahead as it zig-zagged up the mountainside. He reflected on the fact that it didn't take a genius like him to work out that they would be in trouble if they didn't find shelter soon.

"I guess we're gonna have to..." Heyes' voice trailed off as he noticed his cousin staring intently at a point high up, a little way off the trail. "You seen something?"

Curry pointed. "Up there, Heyes. I think it's a cave."

Heyes trusted his partner's keen eyesight. "Wanna risk the climb?"

"Do we have a choice?"

Heyes shook his head in reply, turned his horse and urged the sorrel mare up the steep mountainside.

It wasn't long before the snow-covered trail narrowed even more, eventually leading to a wide ledge which was sheltered by an overhang and partly concealed by a dead tree.

The two men dismounted. While Heyes held the horses', both of which proceeded to shower him in more snow as they shook the accumulation from their manes, Kid worked his way along the ledge towards the cave. A few minutes passed before he reappeared.

"It is a cave, Heyes. A big one. Looks dry too. Might do for us _and_ the horses if we can get them in there. This ledge is about wide enough and it should stay clear of snow too if the wind don't get up."

Heyes glanced up at the snow-laden clouds. "I can't see this snow easing any time soon, can you? And, as I really don't fancy freezin' to death in a snowdrift or spendin' the best part of the fall - not to mention the winter - in a Four Trees jail, I figure it's worth a try."

Curry took his reins from Heyes and began to lead the way slowly along the ledge, trying to keep his horse as close to the rock wall as possible. When he reached the cave he paused in order to give his and the black gelding's eyes time to adjust to the darkness before venturing inside.

Heyes followed his partner at a distance. His horse wasn't quite as calm on the ledge as Kid's but, with some gentle coaxing, they both finally made it to the dark cave entrance. Just as Kid had done, Heyes paused and when his eyes had adjusted from the glare of the snow he started to lead the animal inside.

Without warning the sorrel stopped wide-eyed, pushing backwards with stiff front legs and throwing her head about. Heyes only just reacted in time to stop her from rearing and backing out over the ledge, her shod hooves making a loud clatter which echoed around the cave, contributing to her panic. Heyes stood still and, more calmly than he felt, ran a soothing hand down the animal's neck several times while speaking softly to her, his face close to her velvety muzzle. After a couple of minutes he tried gently leading her forward again. Much to his relief she walked into the darkness without any further trouble.

From within the cave all Kid Curry could do was stand and watch as the drama unfolded. He knew that if he moved out of the darkness towards the horse he would probably make the situation worse and besides, Heyes was used to calming her and would make a better job of it than him.

"You okay?" he asked as his cousin joined him a good distance inside the cave.

Heyes leaned against the rock wall and blew out his cheeks. "For a minute there I thought she was gonna go over."

Curry grinned. "I thought it was me who held all the cards when it came to charmin' the ladies, Heyes. But Jeez, if I could sweet talk them _that_ good, who knows what..."

"Kid, you've got a one track mind." Heyes gave his cousin a narrow, sideways look.

Still grinning, Curry busied himself rifling through their saddlebags before producing two sets of rope hobbles. He much preferred tethering horses but with nothing in the cave to tie them to, this was the only choice. Carefully running his hand down the sorrel's legs he attached the hobble and did the same with his black gelding. Satisfied that their horses were secure and not able to bolt out of the cave Kid then took the long reins from his partner.

Heyes squinted as he looked toward the cave mouth. "What d' you think, should we risk a fire?" he asked.

"Don't see why not. Why d'you ask?" Curry began unbuckling a cinch.

"I was just wondering if we would be sending out a smoke signal saying 'come get me', that's all."

Kid looked over his shoulder at his cousin. "Heyes, I'm cold."

"Me too."

"So, I say let's have a fire...and if anyone is crazy enough to be followin' us in this snow storm I will personally invite them in, roast my hat and share it with 'em!"

Heyes snorted.

Kid removed his horse's saddle and set it down against the cave wall. "How about you go find some firewood while I finish up here," he suggested.

"Huh, I don't like the cold but _you're_ the one who gets to stay inside," grumbled Heyes as he pulled his bandana higher up his neck and stomped off toward the falling snow. Kid allowed himself a low chuckle at his cousin's irritation.

By the time Heyes returned, his arms piled high with the driest twigs and branches from the dead tree, Kid had unsaddled and rubbed the horses down and was in the process of giving them several handfuls of feed from a canvas bag which had hung next to his saddlebags.

Heyes dropped the wood on the ground near the cave entrance and, hoping at least some of it was dry enough, started to try and coax a fire into life. Luckily the wood didn't appear too damp and with the addition of a few dry pieces he found inside the cave small flames began to crackle and snap as they took hold throwing out more light and, more importantly, some warmth. Next, he filled their old dented coffee pot with snow and put it on the fire to heat.

Finally satisfied that the horses were settled Kid carried their bedrolls and saddles over and set them down near the fire. He sat cross-legged watching the snow continue to fall as Heyes added coffee grounds to the pot and handed him a piece of the pie they had purchased from the cafe on their way out of town. The pastry was a little busted up but it was still edible.

After his slice of pie, a warming cup of coffee and a short nap Kid got to his feet and, selecting a suitable branch from the wood pile, held it in the fire until the tip caught alight.

"What are you doing?" Heyes asked.

"I'm just gonna take a look at the rest of this cave," replied his cousin. "Don't want any nasty surprises in the middle of the night now, do we?" The Kid walked into the darkness, the makeshift torch giving the appearance of a flickering halo around him.

Just as he had thought, the cave was large - it was not very wide but it went a good distance back into the mountain. Reaching the back wall and finding nothing threatening on the way he turned to return to the campfire and trod on something which cracked sharply under his boot. He waved the light around a little lower. It was then that he noticed a recess at the base of the cave wall to his right. He held the burning branch out in front in order to get a better look before recoiling a couple of steps in surprise.

"Heyes," he called. "You'd better come see this."

Hannibal Heyes immediately scrambled to his feet, drew his gun, and trotted quickly towards the light. When he joined his cousin the Kid was already crouched down staring at the tattered remains of some clothes, along with a few bones and a skull.

"Well, I'll be...," whispered Heyes as he pushed his hat to the back of his head.

"Wonder how long he's been here?"

"By the looks of him, I'm guessin' quite some time."

Kid now looked at the ground around them a little more closely. "Could have been eaten by animals. The bones are scattered all over." He held the flame into the recess. "Hey, are those bullets?"

Heyes knelt down beside his partner and, reaching down in between two rib bones, picked up a couple of slugs from the dirt.

"Well, at least we know what killed him," he said matter-of-factly as he tossed the bullets back on the ground. Heyes was about to stand up again when something else caught his eye.

"Move the light over there, will you?" he said, pointing to the bony remains of a outstretched hand. Kid moved the burning branch closer and Heyes gingerly moved the spindly fingers to one side. He pulled out a canvas bag half covered by dirt and, after untying the drawstring, peered inside. His brown eyes widened in surprise before he slowly raised them to look at his partner.

"What is it, Heyes?"

"It's gold," Heyes said huskily and a slow wide smile crept across his face.

"What?!"

"Gold. Look for yourself." Holding the bag out to his cousin with one hand Heyes took the flaming branch with the other.

Curry grabbed the bag and tipped some of the contents into his gloved hand. Glinting in the light of the flame lay several gold coins. Kid gave a low whistle and grinned back at his cousin.

"We're rich!" he exclaimed.

"We could well be, Kid!" Heyes chortled, his eyes shining in the flickering light.

"I don't believe it!"

"Let's take them to the daylight - have a better look there."

Standing at the mouth of the cave in the snowy white light they each examined a piece. The coins were certainly unusual, being completely covered in an intricate pattern with several larger symbols around the edge. In the centre of one side was a face unlike any the ex-outlaws had seen before. It was slightly grotesque and appeared to be wearing some sort of headdress. From its open mouth protruded a long angular tongue.

Heyes firmly bit his coin then inspected it carefully. "It's gold alright. But it's not from round here, that's for sure."

Kid laughed. "I don't care where it's from, Heyes. We found it and, for once, there's no one here to steal it from us _and_ we don't have to give it back to anyone neither. It's _ours_."

Kid Curry tossed his coin in the air with a flourish then pocketed it while Heyes returned his to the bag with the others. He frowned thoughtfully as he weighed the bag in his hand, trying to estimate its worth.

"There's gotta be about two or three pounds here, Kid. Maybe more. But, as it isn't gold dust or US currency, I can't begin to imagine how much money we're talkin'. We'll just have to wait until we get to a town with an assay office to find out for sure."

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

For a further two days they remained holed up in the cave until, on the third morning, they awoke to a bright blue sky and the sound of dripping water from the overhang outside. There was no doubt about it, the snowfall had been too early in the season and would be gone in a day or two. Since their food supply was dwindling they lost no time in breaking camp and, with the bag of gold coins stashed safely in Kid's saddlebags, made their way tentatively out of the cave and along the ledge to the relative safety of the snow covered trail.

Later that same day the former outlaws found themselves winding their way through a pass which they hoped would lead down and away from the mountain. Wishing to press on quickly to lower ground, when the trail widened a little they urged their mounts into a steady jog.

They were making good progress until Kid said, "Hold up, Heyes."

Heyes reined his horse to a halt. "What's the matter?"

"My bedroll's fallen off. Lucky I spotted it." Kid pointed to an object lying in the snow a few hundred yards back along the trail. "Sheesh, can't believe it's come loose, I always tie it on real tight," he griped as he turned his horse and trotted back along the trail to retrieve it.

Jumping down from the saddle he picked up the roll of tarp and blankets and was just about to re-attach it behind his saddle when his attention was drawn to a sound high up on the mountain. Heyes heard it too and looked up. As the noise grew louder he shouted to his partner in alarm.

"Get outta there, Kid!"

Before he could get his foot into the stirrup, Kid's usually placid gelding reared propelling him backwards into the snow before bolting back down the trail, slowing only as he reached the comforting presence of Heyes' mare. Heyes quickly leaned out from the saddle and grabbed its loose rein before it could pass him.

Feeling the ground begin to vibrate Curry found his feet and started to run back towards the horses, both of which Heyes was trying desperately to control, while at the same time keeping his eyes fixed on his partner. Unfortunately, the thundering wall of snow was moving faster down the mountain than the Kid could run so he made a split second decision and rolled himself into a ball half a second before it engulfed him.

"No!" cried Heyes from his vantage point just out of reach of the roaring tide of white. He watched aghast as it buried his friend yet swept completely past him and the horses. When the snow had stopped moving he kicked both feet free of his stirrups, jumped from his mare and sprinted into the deep snow trying all the while to visualize the exact spot where he had last seen his partner.

"Please..., please still be here," he breathed, thrusting his arms into the snow up to his shoulders. Heyes knew that if the avalanche had pushed the Kid down the slope he had very little chance of finding him.

"Jed! Jed!" he shouted, reverting to his cousin's given name as he fought the fear which was starting to grip him. Breathing heavily he moved along a little further, struggling through waist-high snow while frantically searching with hands that were rapidly becoming numb in what he prayed was not going to be Kid's icy grave.

Suddenly, Heyes' hands made contact with something which was too soft to be a rock and he immediately began scooping away great armfuls of snow as fast as he could.

"Jed! Hold on, just hold on!" he shouted as, with untold relief, he began to uncover a sheepskin jacket and a brown hat.

Pulling his partner on top of the snow, Heyes growled in frustration at his numb fingers as he tried to undo the fastenings on the sheepskin jacket so that he could put his ear to his partner's chest. Despite the pounding in his ears from his own exertions he was sure he detected Kid's heartbeat. Re-buttoning the jacket as best he could he knelt in the snow, supporting his partner with one hand and tapping his face sharply with the other. Kid's lips didn't look blue so he guessed he must have been trapped with a pocket of air but he was desperate to see him breathe.

"C'mon, c'mon. Show me you're still with me," he murmured searching his cousin's face for signs of life.

A few more taps to his face and Kid's eyelids finally began to flicker. Heyes smiled and sighed with relief as the blue eyes slowly opened and tried to focus.

"Hey, Kid," he said, shakily.

Curry took a deep breath, coughed and attempted to sit up.

"Take it easy, partner," said Heyes as he helped support his cousin's back. "You hurt anywhere?"

Kid Curry considered this question for a moment attempting to concentrate his mind on his cold limbs. "Don't think so," he replied carefully, then flexed his left shoulder and grimaced. "Well maybe a bruise or two."

"Thought I'd lost you under all that snow. Think you can stand?"

Kid nodded and Heyes helped him to his feet. "Let's get outta here, Kid."

They slowly started back to where Heyes had left the horses. Abruptly Kid stopped, turned around and trudged back towards the pile of snow that had buried him.

"Where are you...?" Heyes began, then rolled his eyes as his partner held up a snow covered bedroll.

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

Two more days in the saddle saw the former outlaws put a good number of miles between themselves and the mountain and they were more than grateful to now be wending their way over gentle hills and through scattered stands of bur and gambel oak. The weather had continued to improve and daytime temperatures were warm for the time of year. Night time ones, however, were not so pleasant.

Despite his protestations that he felt fine after the avalanche Kid Curry had begun to realize how battered his body was and would have happily traded some of the gold to soak in a nice warm bath and sleep in a comfortable bed. However, just before sunset and still with no town in sight, they had little option but to surrender to the fact that they would have to spend yet another night out of doors.

They were both heartily sick of beans and jerky, the supplies of which were now perilously low, so while Heyes set about looking after the horses and making camp Kid volunteered to go in search of some game for supper. Taking the rifle from the scabbard on his saddle he set off through the trees.

Generally speaking, Kid preferred to use his Colt whatever the circumstances - he didn't consider himself a very good shot with a rifle - but he also didn't want to miss out on a possible kill if it happened to be out of range of his revolver. Having found a good location within sight of a small clearing he sat, his back against a tree with the rifle across his knee and his Colt in his hand, and waited patiently.

Little more than twenty minutes later there was a movement between the trees and a small deer stepped into the open space not more than a hundred feet away from his position and started to gently tear at the short grass. Curry smiled to himself; he had a clear, easy shot and he took it...and missed.

The animal looked around in alarm then, with a single leap, it was gone.

Kid sat with his eyes wide and unblinking staring at the spot where, seconds before, the deer had stood. "What the...?" he said out loud as he looked from the gun in his hand to the clearing and back to the gun again. He rotated the cylinder - that moved smoothly. He cocked and un-cocked the hammer a couple of times - that felt fine. Aiming at a small branch on a tree at maximum range he pulled the trigger - the branch splintered and fell to the floor.

"Huh."

Back at the camp Heyes had just got the campfire burning nicely when he heard the shots. He rubbed his hands together with relish at the prospect of fresh meat so he was more than a little surprised to see his cousin return carrying only the rifle over his shoulder.

"Well, what did you get us for supper then?"

"Nothin'," growled Curry, avoiding Heyes' expectant gaze.

"Oh, don't tell me... the critter got the drop on you," Heyes mocked.

Kid Curry slumped down on the ground and leaned against his saddle. "Funny."

Heyes was feeling a little too hungry to play games. "Come on now, Kid! Go fetch whatever you shot, I'm hungry."

"I told you, Heyes, I got nothin'." Kid pulled off his gloves and dropped them into his hat on the ground beside him.

"But, I heard shots!"

"Oh, there was a deer." Kid nodded sagely as he frowned into the flames.

Heyes smiled. "I knew it."

"But, I missed it."

Hannibal Heyes shook his head and chuckled. "I think there must be somethin' wrong with my hearin', Kid, 'cause for a moment there I thought you said you missed it."

"There's nothin' wrong with your hearin', Heyes. That's what I said."

Heyes stared at his cousin. "But...what...how...?" He was having trouble believing that the legendary Kid Curry could possibly have failed to hit his target.

"Dunno. I had a clear shot...but..." Kid shrugged.

"Huh." Heyes sat down heavily on the ground opposite his partner. "Well, I guess there's a first time for everything."

They both sat in stunned silence for a long minute before Heyes asked, "What about the second shot?"

"Oh, I thought I'd make sure there wasn't anythin' wrong with my gun. Tried shootin' at somethin' else."

"What did you do? Try to shoot yourself in the foot and miss that too?" Despite feeling tired and hungry, Heyes just couldn't help himself.

Ice blue eyes narrowed at the sarcasm. "Just leave it, Heyes, or I swear I'll come over there and flatten ya."

Heyes turned his face away in an attempt to suppress a mischievous smile.

While his partner prepared their meal Curry used what was left of the daylight to take his revolver apart, clean it meticulously with gun oil and, after inspecting every piece carefully, reassemble it. He then repeated the whole process just in case he had missed something the first time.

Later that evening, after another disappointing supper of beans and jerky accompanied by a couple of stale biscuits Heyes had found wrapped in a spare bandana at the bottom of his saddlebags, the two men sat silently sipping Heyes' equally disappointing coffee and staring into the glowing embers of the fire.

Glancing sideways at his cousin Heyes sensed his feeling of despondency. He knew how fed up the Kid was with waiting for the Governor to grant them amnesty - they both were. He also knew that the blond had to still be bruised from the avalanche and now, to cap it all, his pride was hurt too. Thinking he knew what might cheer his cousin up he reached over to the saddlebags and pulled out the bag of coins. Heyes frowned. Was it his imagination or did the bag felt heavier than it had when they had found it almost a week ago? Dismissing the idea he took out a single coin and, leaning forward toward the fire, he turned it over in his palm.

Kid's blue eyes blinked sleepily. "What are you doin'?"

"Just having another look at these coins."

"What for? They ain't changed since we looked at them the other day."

"I know that but, they are ours and _they are gold_ ," replied Heyes with a broad grin.

"Yeah well, they're no use to us out here in the middle of nowhere," Curry grumbled through a yawn.

"We're not gonna be in the middle of nowhere forever, Kid. In fact, I think there's a pretty good chance we'll reach Tornford sometime tomorrow afternoon."

"Really?" Kid felt his spirits lift a little at the prospect of a return to creature comforts. "Well, you know now, I figure it's my turn for the first bath."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. You always get all the clean hot water."

Heyes pretended to consider this for a moment then smiled impishly as he held up the gold coin. "We could always flip this to see who gets the first bath?"

Kid sighed deeply. "Heads," he called, without too much conviction.

With a flick of his thumb Heyes launched the coin into the air and they both watched it spin, glinting brightly in the firelight. He caught it deftly in one hand and slapped it onto the back of the other. Grinning confidently, Heyes looked down at the coin.

"It's...heads," he said, failing to hide his disbelief.

"What?!" Kid leaned towards Heyes to take a closer look. "Hey, what d' y' know. I get the hot water!" he crowed triumphantly.

Perplexed, Heyes' brow furrowed and he absent-mindedly pushed the errant coin into the pocket of his dusty corduroy vest.

The next morning dawned sunny and warm and the cousins rose in good spirits despite their protesting limbs from yet another night on the cold, hard ground. The prospect of spending a few nights in a hotel room, not to mention the consumption of some wholesome food and a visit to a saloon or two, foremost in their minds.

The land was levelling out and they loped their mounts most of the way in companionable silence. It was just past noon when the Cold River came into view and the trail narrowed a little, bordered on one side by the river and on the other by a natural embankment covered by a mix of sagebrush and greasewood. All they had to do now was follow it downstream to the little town of Tornford.

Alongside the slow-moving river a soft, cool breeze provided some welcome relief from the warmth of the early fall day and so they slowed to a walk in order to enjoy it for a while. The breeze stirred the vegetation into a gentle whisper but neither man noticed the sound, even when it changed to a sudden rustle. Seconds later a ground squirrel broke cover and dashed across the trail almost running over the front hooves of Heyes' mare.

Heyes was an accomplished rider who could easily sit his mount's unpredictable movements - of which there were many - however, as the startled animal jumped sideways in one direction Heyes and his saddle unexpectedly pitched sideways in the other and landed heavily on the dusty track.

Curry, who had been walking on ahead, heard the thud together with his partner's loud "Oooof!" as he hit the ground. He turned his horse. "Heyes?"

Heyes lay on his back staring at the sky, half covered by the saddle and trying desperately to suck air into his lungs. Having been winded a number of times in the past he knew that if he kept calm eventually he would be able to breathe again. It just wasn't a pleasant sensation until he did.

Kid dismounted and ambled over, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Huh, ain't like you to chew gravel," he grinned as he looked down at his prone partner who was now concentrating on breathing deeply.

"What happened?!" Heyes asked incredulously, finally pushing the saddle off his chest. "One minute I was riding along and the next..."

Curry reached down and offered his hand which Heyes gladly grasped and pulled himself to his feet. He stood easing out his back and shoulders before hobbling a few steps to retrieve his old black hat from underneath a bush. Momentarily he considered the possibility that if his horse had jumped in the other direction he may well have ended up in the river and he decided that, if he had a choice, he would rather be dusty than wet.

Kid crouched down and inspected the saddle. "Cinch is broken," he stated.

"Huh?" Heyes was busy brushing the latest deposit of trail dust from his clothes and hat.

"Sheared right through."

"But that's impossible - it's new."

"See for yourself." Kid undid the buckle that still attached one end of the cinch to the saddle and waved the offending piece of tack at his partner. Heyes took it, shaking his head as he examined it closely.

"Aaww, that can't be repaired," he grumbled. "You ever seen a cinch break on its own like that?"

"Nope."

"Neither have I. I've seen a few look like that when they've been _cut_ through but I think I'd have noticed if anything was wrong with it before we left Fourtrees. We didn't leave town in that much of a hurry."

Kid heaved the saddle back onto Heyes' mare and tied some latigos together, looping them underneath the horse to hold the saddle in place. "Well, it looks like we're gonna be ridin' double for the last few miles," he stated.

Not relishing the thought of bouncing around behind the high cantle of Kid's saddle for even a single mile, Heyes closed his eyes and groaned.

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

The small town of Tornford was tucked into the bend of the river as it turned south on its way towards the Great Salt Lake. It looked, sounded and smelled exactly like a hundred other small towns they had passed through.

Having noted the location of the hotel, the saloon and the Sheriff's office which, thankfully displayed a name they weren't familiar with, they headed straight for the livery stable.

The livery owner came out, called a greeting and regarded them with curiosity as Heyes stiffly slid down from behind Kid's saddle. They both looked on as the man inspected the damaged cinch and confirmed that it was indeed beyond repair. Heyes begrudgingly paid him a few dollars to obtain a new one as well as for a couple of days' stabling for the horses before they shouldered their saddlebags and, carrying their rifles and bedrolls, crossed the main street to the small hotel.

The hotel's desk clerk emerged promptly from the back office in response to a sharp tap on the ornate counter bell.

"We'd like a room at the front of the hotel and a bath please, in that order," requested Heyes, flexing his back before leaning stiffly on the desk.

"I only got a room at the back with one small bed and a cot," said the man as he studied his register.

"Beg pardon?" Heyes queried. This did not make sense. Tornford was just a small one horse town on the way to nowhere in particular.

"That's all I got."

Heyes nodded, slowly. "That's all you got."

"The boarding house at the other end of town had a fire so everyone moved over here." The clerk tried to sound apologetic but he didn't succeed. The partners exchanged a tired glance.

"Guess we'd better take what you got then," said Kid. "Now about that bath..."

"No hot water."

"What?" Curry's tone was starting to take on an edge.

"Too late," was the unhelpful explanation.

Kid's jaw tightened. "It's only just past noon."

Aware of his cousin's rising temper Heyes threw the man a tight lipped smile as he asked, "Is there a bath house in town?"

Neither of them particularly liked using a public bath house, preferring the privacy of their hotel room but if there was no alternative...

"Chinese fella runs one, round back of the livery."

 _S#*t and soap,_ thought Heyes, stifling a moan. G _reat combination._

The clerk turned the register round for the two men to sign. As they did so he removed the last remaining key from a board of empty hooks on the wall behind him. "That'll be four dollars."

"That's for the week?" queried Kid.

"For tonight."

"Four dollars! For one bed and a cot?!" Curry's right hand was starting to stray dangerously close to his holster. He also had a niggling suspicion as to who would end up sleeping on the cot.

"That's today's price," shrugged the clerk, totally unfazed by Kid's tone. "Take it or leave it."

"That had better include breakfast." Curry gave the clerk an icy stare as he begrudgingly produced four silver dollars from his vest pocket and snatched the proffered room key.

"Sheesh," he muttered, as they made their way up the stairs. "And they want to lock _us_ up for 20 years for robbin' people."

The room was, as they had expected, small - extremely small, in fact - and overlooked the alley at the rear of the hotel, just above the kitchen. Kid walked resolutely over to the cot and dropped his bedroll onto it. Heyes watched him with some amusement.

"Don't you want to flip a coin, Kid."

Curry shook his head. "Uh, uh. No point, Heyes, 'cause I _know_ you'd get the bed."

"You won when we flipped for the hot water yesterday, remember?"

"Hmph! Yeah, _that_ worked out _real good_."

Heyes fought to suppress a smile. "If that's how you want to play it, then we'll swap tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night? At these prices!."

Heyes laid his hand on his cousin's shoulder and pushed him through the door. "C'mon, let's go find this bath house."

Still carrying their saddlebags over their shoulders the two men retraced their steps down the stairs and out into the street. Kid continued his icy glare at the clerk as they passed the front desk.

The bath house was indeed behind the livery stable but was not quite as bad as they had imagined. The ex-outlaws managed to get two large round wooden tubs together in a room for which the dour Chinese owner charged them fifty cents each for hot water with a small piece of lye soap and ten cents each for a very thin, but clean, towel. Upon reflection they had to admit this was probably better value for money than a bath at the overpriced hotel would have been.

Dressed in their only change of clothes they left their dirty laundry at the bath house to be washed and made their way along the street to a cafe for something to eat.

An hour later and Kid Curry was feeling a lot more amiable. His stomach was no longer rumbling; it was now comfortably full of fried chicken and vegetables together with two helpings of apple pie and fresh whipped cream. He sat back in his chair in the Satisfaction Cafe with a contented sigh, closed his eyes and stretched out his legs under the table.

Hannibal Heyes took a mouthful of his second cup of coffee and regarded his cousin with amused affection. There was no doubt about it - Jed sure could eat. Sometimes Heyes wondered if the man was still making up for lost time. During their stay at the Valparaiso Home for Waywards the food had been neither plentiful or appetizing, and they had suffered five years of it before running away. After that they were still hungry more times than he cared to remember until they had got better at stealing, that is. Exactly how the Kid had managed to grow from a small scrawny boy into the tall, strong man before him now was beyond his comprehension.

"You done eatin' for now?" he asked.

Kid forced his eyes open. "For now."

"Well, if you think you can still walk with the weight of all that food you've just taken in, we need to pay a visit to that assay office we passed on the way here." Heyes leaned forward and lowered his voice. "This gold is starting to make my saddlebags feel real heavy. I don't want to be carrying it around any longer than I have to."

At the mention of the gold Kid's eyes shone. "Good idea, Heyes," he whispered. "I wanna find out how rich we are."

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

"We'll have to decided what we're going to do with the gold once we've had it valued," said Heyes as they walked back down the main street. "If they will only buy part of it at the assay office then we could keep the rest somewhere safe...like a bank." He chuckled. "Now, wouldn't that be something; us walkin' into a bank and making a deposit - instead of a two o'clock in the mornin' withdrawal."

Kid flashed his cousin a wide grin. "That would be somethin' alright."

A small bell tinkled as they let themselves into the assay office which, in many ways, felt like a small version of a bank. Both men were aware of a slight familiar tingle.

Right in front of them was a large bankers cage with a counter on which stood a set of gold scales and weights. Through the bars they could see a door, which was slightly ajar, leading to an office. Through the opening Heyes spied part of what could only be a safe. Brown eyes lingered on the door a moment longer than they really should have. He involuntarily rubbed his thumb back and forth against the fingers of his right hand, re-living the sensation of the tumblers falling into place.

Herman Kisling sat within the bankers cage, his brow knotted in concentration as he studied a large leather-bound ledger. He was a short, stout man in his early forties, his hair already greying and thinning but his bushy moustache belying the light brown of its original colour. He looked up and over his small round spectacles as the two men approached. These two didn't look like your usual run-of-the-mill prospectors, he thought. They were a might clean for that. He also couldn't help but notice the low slung gun belts with the tied down holsters and his shoulders stiffened with apprehension.

"Herman Kisling at your service. What can I do for you, gentlemen?" he asked pleasantly.

"We've got some gold we'd like you to take a look at, Mister Kisling," said Heyes cheerily, reaching into his saddlebags and taking out the canvas bag which he placed on the counter. He pushed it through the gap under the bars.

Herman Kisling picked up the bag and undid the string tie which was holding it closed. Peering inside his eyes widened growing larger as he removed one of the coins.

"Kinda unusual, ain't it?" said Kid.

"It most certainly is," remarked Herman. "How many do you have here?"

"A lot," said Heyes, pleased at the man's reaction.

"It appears to be gold, but I will need to test it to be certain."

"Fine," nodded Curry. "Test away!"

Turning to a table behind him Herman began rubbing the coin against a large black stone until it left a clear mark. Then, having selected a small bottle from a number of others lined up on a rack he removed the stopper and, with a dropper, applied some of the liquid to the mark. The gold mark remained on the stone. He then chose another bottle and dripped a small amount of a different liquid onto the mark. This time it disappeared.

"It's gold alright," he confirmed as he turned back to the two expectant faces at the counter. "Very pure too." Placing the bag on the scales, Herman balanced it out with a few well chosen weights.

Heyes and Curry exchanged a grin.

Herman's eyes weren't what they used to be, even with his spectacles, so he opened a drawer and took out a hand lens in order to examine one of the coins more closely. A few seconds later his expression turned cold and he quickly returned the coin to the bag and pushed it back towards Heyes.

"So, how much will you give us for it?" asked Heyes.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?! But, you just said it's high quality."

"Look if y' ain't got enough money in your safe we don't need to sell it all at once," offered Kid.

"Oh, it's got nothing to do with how much it's worth, gentlemen."

"So, what is it?" Kid leaned forward on the counter. He was trying his best to keep his tone civil but he could feel his temper rising for the second time that day.

"It's just..." Herman backed up a step and ran a finger nervously around the inside of his collar. "Have you ever heard of Montezuma?"

Curry shook his head while Heyes narrowed his eyes in thought before answering. "He was a king down in Mexico, right?"

Herman nodded at Heyes as he continued. "That's right. Well, there's a legend hereabouts that hundreds of years ago Montezuma sent his gold north to keep it safe. Eight thousand Aztec warriors brought it here, all the way from Mexico, to hide it."

"From Mexico. To Utah." Curry was sceptical. "They sure came a long way to hide one li'l ol' bag of coins."

"No, no. This would only be a small part of it. A very small part, indeed. The legend says they had a vast quantity of gold and they hid it up in the mountains somewhere."

"And just who were these Mexicans hidin' it from?" Kid wasn't buying too much of this man's story.

"From the Conquistadors."

"Con-kister what?"

Heyes turned to his cousin. "Conquistadors. They were soldiers from Spain," he explained. Curry swiftly nodded his comprehension then returned his gaze to Herman. "Go on."

Herman cleared his throat nervously. "Well, it's said that before they hid the treasure their high priest held a special ceremony. He made a blood sacrifice, a human one by all accounts, and then put a curse on the gold in order to keep it safe."

Curry took a steadying breath. "A curse," he said derisively as he raised his eyebrows at Heyes.

Herman nodded his head and swallowed hard as Kid's blue eyes once again bored into him.

"What sorta curse?"

"A nasty one, I'm afraid. It is said that whoever is in possession of Aztec gold is cursed with bad luck. Real bad luck. So bad it would eventually lead to their death."

"And that's why you won't buy it," stated Heyes.

"Das stimmt." At two puzzled expressions Herman shook his head and elucidated, "er, that's right."

Picking up the canvas bag Heyes jingled the coins in his palm. "Where would you suggest we take it then - to sell it?"

"It won't matter where you take it. Nobody will buy it."

Heyes and Curry exchanged another glance.

"How do you know that?" Heyes couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I just do. Everyone in the gold business - in these parts anyway - has heard the story of Montezuma's gold. I suppose you could try keeping it until you get a little farther south but, with that curse, you probably won't make it very far."

"So, what do you suggest we do with it?" Kid asked evenly.

Kisling looked nervously from one man to the other knowing that this piece of advice would not be well received. "Well, to be brutally honest, gentlemen...I'd just get rid of it."

"Aaaww, come on now! How do you propose we do that if no one will buy it?" asked a bemused Hannibal Heyes.

"Any way you can! Bury it, throw it away, anything; but do it soon, before the curse gets you killed."

"Pfftt. Curse," scoffed Kid again, throwing Herman a disgusted look before turning his back to the counter and taking a step towards the door. "C'mon, Joshua, let's go."

Heyes made to follow him then stopped and held up a gloved forefinger. "Just a minute." Turning back to the man who was visibly starting to relax now that they were leaving, he asked. "Okay, Mister Kisling, let's suppose for a moment that this isn't Aztec gold. What would it be worth?"

"Oh, I really couldn't say."

Heyes' brown eyes hardened as did his tone. "I suggest you try."

A bead of sweat began to meander down the side of Herman's face. He looked at the weights that he had put on the scales and pushed out his bottom lip as he considered the question.

"Er...I'd say... considering its purity... at today's price..." Herman cleared his throat. "Maybe, ten thousand dollars."

Heyes pressed his lips together and ran his tongue across his front teeth. Without a word he stuffed the bag of coins back into his saddlebags and followed his cousin out onto the street.

Not needing to consult with one another they automatically strode toward the saloon, each man lost in his own thoughts. Pushing their way through the batwing doors they leaned on the bar with their heads bowed while the bartender poured two beers before settling themselves at a table near the far wall. Heyes dropped the heavy saddlebags at his feet and they both took a long draught of beer.

Kid eventually stopped staring blankly at the tabletop and broke the silence. "Well, what d'ya make of all that?" he asked.

"I'm sure I don't know," replied Heyes. He still felt a little stunned. "It never occurred to me for one minute that we wouldn't be able to sell it."

"Do you think he was right about it bein' Mexican?"

"He could be right, I suppose. Those coins do look strange."

Curry took another swig of his beer before lounging back in his chair. "And what about the curse? Could there be any truth in it?"

"Cursed gold?" Heyes snorted before considering the idea again. "I dunno, Kid. When you think about it, we have been a might unlucky lately but...," he shrugged, "it may just be nothing more than co-incidence."

"Well, with the kinda luck we have, Heyes, do we need to carry more bad luck around with us?"

"Okay then, do you wanna do what he suggested and get rid of it?"

Kid looked incredulously at his partner. "Hell no! I was just wonderin' that's all." He lowered his voice. "Can you imagine us throwin' ten thousand dollars away?"

"No," Heyes chuckled.

"So, you got a plan?" Kid cast his eyes cautiously around the saloon. "That gold's not a lot of good just sittin' there in your saddlebags."

"Well, I think we should stay here in Tornford for the next day or two and..."

"At the price that bandit's chargin' for the cupboard he's callin' a room?" Kid interrupted.

Heyes closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath before regarding his cousin with some irritation.

"As I was saying, I think we should stay here in Tornford and rest up. Don't know about you but I wouldn't mind soakin' my achin' back and the bruises from that fall in another warm bath." He caught his cousin's dubious glance. "Look, we've got enough money from that delivery job to enjoy ourselves a bit. We never got to spend hardly any of it in Four Trees. I could top up our stake playing a little poker, you could have some fun," he aimed a lewd grin at Kid, "and then we could try the next town, see if someone there will buy the gold."

Curry's brow creased as he considered this for a minute, then he gave a single nod. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said, chinking his glass against his partner's.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The two ex-outlaws remained in the saloon for most of the afternoon where they eventually joined a poker game which, for the most part, had pretty low stakes. This was fortunate because neither of them were doing very well.

The sun was just touching the horizon when Curry threw in yet another bad hand and, as the pot was being gathered up by the winner, he picked up what remained of his money and pushed back his chair.

"Well, Joshua, I'm gonna go check on the horses and then get me somethin' to eat," he said. "You want anythin'?"

Heyes quickly glanced around the table at the other players then looked up at his partner. "No thank you, Thaddeus," he grinned. "Got all I need right here." He raised a full whiskey glass toward Kid before knocking back the contents and drawing a ripple of laughter from the men at the table.

Kid raised a hand in acknowledgement. He knew Heyes had won only a couple of meagre pots and so was working on making the other players think he was planning on getting drunk in the hope they would let down their guard and make a few reckless bets.

While the next hand was being dealt Heyes stared at his sorely depleted stake and tried to work out why he was doing so badly. He took a bad run of the cards as just one of those things but this afternoon was different. He had been keeping a sharp eye out for any tricks or sleight of hand but nobody appeared to be cheating; at least, if they were they were very good, because he sure couldn't spot it. The deck appeared to be straight too.

Three hands passed; each time he folded, then on the fourth hand he was dealt a pair of tens, a jack, a two and a five. He made a small bet and exchanged two cards. His poker face served him well as he picked up the new cards to reveal another jack and an ace. Another round of betting later and he was called. Laying down his two pair, jacks over, Heyes' eyes narrowed when it was beaten, yet again, by one of the other players with two pair, queens over.

Four more hands passed which he folded before he again received some playable cards. He made a bet and this time drew three cards which meant he was holding three queens. Now this hand was definitely winnable. A couple of rounds of betting later in which Heyes raised and then was called, the other player laying down a ten high diamond flush. Heyes couldn't quite believe how his luck was running. He studied the man who had won and shrugged inwardly. He wasn't the same man who had beaten him last time and the run of the cards didn't point to the two of them playing partners either.

Heyes had noticed the Kid return to the saloon some time ago and decided that he would play one more hand and then join his cousin at the bar for a drink before they turned in.

The cards were shuffled and dealt. Heyes slowly fanned out his hand, a two, a seven and three aces; he made a decent bet. The man who had won the last round raised and the other players folded. Heyes matched the bet. The other man exchanged two cards, Heyes also exchanged two. With the way his luck had been running his poker face almost failed him when he picked up the fourth ace. It was by far the best hand he'd had in quite some time - in any poker game. His opponent made a substantial bet.

Hannibal Heyes studied the man for a moment, he couldn't see any tells but instinctively he felt the man was bluffing. Heyes made his decision and raised fifty dollars drawing whistles from a couple of the other players. The man called him. Heyes confidently showed his four aces. His fingers were almost twitching in anticipation of raking in the largest pot of the night until his opponent laid down his cards - a queen high straight flush.

"Well now,...that's what I call lucky poker." Heyes steadied himself and forced his mouth into a lopsided grin. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes which were slowly darkening and he sensed the Kid tense at the bar to his right.

"Guess so," shrugged the man genially, as he sorted what was mostly Heyes' money into neat piles.

Heyes continued to stare at the man as he considered his options. If he had seen anything untoward he wouldn't hesitate to challenge him but he hadn't, and he guessed Kid hadn't either or else he would have had his Colt drawn and cocked a long time ago. So, he just gathered up what little remained of his stake, nodded to the other players and picked up the saddlebags which still lay at his feet. He then walked slowly to the bar to stand next to his partner.

"What happened there?" asked Kid as Heyes slung the saddlebags over his shoulder and signalled to the barman to pour two more whiskeys.

"Darned if I know." Heyes studied the amber liquid in his glass. "I had four aces, FOUR!" he hissed. "How often does that happen? And he draws two cards - _two cards,_ mind - to a straight flush. Don't think my luck has ever run that bad before."

"You sure he wasn't cheatin'?" Kid glanced surreptitiously over his left shoulder, his right hand resting on his gun belt alongside the holster.

Shaking his head Heyes replied. "Naw, the game was straight, Kid. I'm sure of it."

"How much you down?"

Heyes grimaced. "About two hundred dollars."

Kid gave a low whistle.

Steering the conversation away from his losses at the poker table Heyes turned his attention to his partner.

"Anyway, I wasn't expecting to see you for at least another half hour. Thought you'd be upstairs being ...er... entertained by one of the young ladies."

"Pfftt."

Brown eyes widened as Heyes leaned one elbow on the bar and faced his cousin. "What, no luck? You? I don't believe it."

Curry returned his partner's dimpled grin with a humourless smile.

Heyes chuckled. "Are you telling me that those baby blue eyes of yours didn't get you anywhere? Hell, the ladies are usually fallin' over each other to get you upstairs."

"Nope. They all just kept avoiding me - turned away if I smiled at them. Not one of those gals asked me if I wanted to...well...y' know, and when I finally asked that cute redhead over there if she had the time, she glared at me and said she was busy! Then she just stood at the end of the bar, doin' nothin'."

Heyes patted his cousin's hand and pouted in mock sympathy. "Aaaww, don't fret, Kid, I'm sure whatever it is, it ain't permanent. We've both just had a bad night, that's all."

"Hmph!" Curry's blue eyes turned a shade more steely as he cast a sideways glance at his cousin. He then downed his whiskey in one gulp and strode out of the saloon.

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

Hannibal Heyes stared, almost mesmerized, at the myriad of cracks in the ceiling above his bed. The early morning light filtering through the thin curtains and the noise from the kitchen below had woken him about half an hour ago but, to be fair, he hadn't slept very well all night. The poker game had been going round and round in his head as he carefully tried to picture each hand but, he was still sure he hadn't missed anyone using any tricks.

He had also been thinking about their gold.

With a sigh he looked over at the sleeping figure on the low canvas cot underneath the window. Despite grumbling about the prospect of having yet another uncomfortable night Kid had settled down on the cot, pulled the threadbare blanket over himself and fallen straight to sleep. Heyes knew that the Kid would still insist that he hadn't slept well and tonight he would have no choice but to relinquish the relative comfort of the bed to his partner.

Heyes turned his attention away from the Kid and reflected on the bag of gold coins once more. Herman Kisling had been adamant that the gold would bring them bad luck and, after that poker game, he was beginning to think he could be right.

Sitting up and reaching to the end of the bed Heyes grabbed his corduroy vest from where he had draped it over the bedstead and felt for the gold coin he had slipped into the pocket the other day. He lay back down to study it as he once again contemplated the Aztec curse. Despite the warmth of the early morning sun on his bed, he shivered.

Pushing back the coverlet Heyes took the two strides necessary to cross the room and placed the gold coin in the canvas bag with the others. Better to be on the safe side and leave them all here today, he thought. Hearing a yawn he looked over his shoulder.

"Please don't tell me it's time to get up," Kid mumbled sleepily.

Heyes glanced at his pocket watch which lay on the night stand beside the bed. "It's a little after six. Go back to sleep, Kid. I'll wake you in time to get the last serving at breakfast," he reassured him.

Settling back onto the bed Heyes plumped up the thin pillow as best he could and, picking up his book, immersed himself once more in the tale of Moby Dick to the familiar sound of his cousin's steady breathing.

The greater part of the day passed uneventfully. They had breakfast in the hotel, exercised their horses for a couple of hours, and Heyes once again soaked his sore back at the bath house accompanied this time by a large cigar.

A discussion over supper concluded that they had enough money to once again spend the evening in the saloon since Heyes was certain that he couldn't possibly have the same bad luck two nights in a row.

The orange and red hues of the setting sun had practically disappeared from the sky by the time the two former outlaws strode into the saloon. They ordered a short beer each and stood leaning against the bar, watching the action. A table in the middle of the room drew most of their attention where a few of the same group of players from the night before were already engaged in a poker game.

After studying a few hands Heyes straightened his hat, drew in a breath and nodded in the direction of the table. "Well, I'm going to give it another whirl. Wish me luck."

Kid picked up his glass. "I think I'll join ya."

Noticing the surprise on his cousin's face he added quietly, "I can't take that sorta rejection from the ladies two nights runnin', Heyes. I'd rather lose my shirt playin' poker."

Heyes laughed and clapped him on the back as they walked over and sat down in the remaining vacant seats at the green baize table.

Just over an hour later and the pile of money in front of Hannibal Heyes had doubled in size. Granted, there hadn't been a huge amount there to start with but, it was certainly an improvement. It had taken him no time at all to get a feel for the other players again and had discovered a couple of tells that he had somehow missed last night. He wasn't winning every single pot but the cards did appear to be falling in his favour a little more tonight.

Kid had folded almost every hand but having been dealt a couple of kings in the next one he felt encouraged to place a bet. However, when Heyes raised, he decided to throw that one in too. He sat staring gloomily at the depleted pile of silver dollars in front of him as his partner cheerfully raked in another pot, when a voice from the other side of the table made his head jerk up.

"Hold on a just a doggone minute," growled a middle aged man with dishevelled dark hair, narrow eyes and a large moustache.

The other players stopped talking and Heyes looked up from sorting his winnings into piles to see the man staring at him.

"Oh, are you talking to me?"

"Yes. I'm talkin' to you," the man said pointing his finger at Heyes. "There's somethin' funny goin' on here."

Kid shifted in his seat while covertly reaching down to check the retaining loop wasn't attached to his revolver.

Despite the man insinuating that he was a cheat Hannibal Heyes flashed the man one of his most disarming smiles. "Something funny? I don't think so, friend. Just having a run of luck, I guess."

Heyes wanted to try and smooth things over if he could. He knew that it wouldn't take much for Kid to get involved, but the last thing he wanted was any gunplay. Curry's fast draw drew too much attention.

"Well, _friend_ , I happen to think it's more 'n a run o' luck. Last night ya lost pretty much every hand but tonight...well...seems to me like ya can't lose."

"I guess there's no explaining some things," Heyes said, genially.

The man had no intention of being placated. "I bin tryin' to figure out what's diff'rent from last night and it seems to me it's that friend of yours sittin' next to ya. I think he's doin' somethin' to help ya win so in my book that means you're _both_ _cheatin'_."

Heyes felt his gut tighten - there was absolutely no way he could keep his partner out of it now.

Kid's eyes narrowed. "You sayin' I'm cheatin'?" he asked, evenly.

"Yes, I am. And I think you'd better leave - before I make ya."

Curry already knew the answer to his next question but he asked it anyway. "And how exactly are you gonna do that?"

The man immediately thrust his chair backwards and stood, his hands by his sides and his fingers twitching slightly. "How d' ya think? Get up!" he snarled, revealing tobacco stained teeth.

"C'mon now, fellas," Heyes said airily. "I'm sure there's no need for this. Thaddeus..."

"Stay out of it, Joshua," Kid murmured through gritted teeth. He'd been feeling proddy for a couple of days now and this fella was just asking for it.

Heyes' glance almost pleaded with his cousin but Curry's eyes had turned ice cold and were already locked on his adversary. He slowly pushed back his chair, stood up and stepped back from the table where, in a somewhat more relaxed fashion, he mirrored the other man's stance. Everyone else at the table, except Heyes, scattered.

Heyes would never admit to the mixture of excitement and anxiety that surged through his system when his partner faced someone in a gunfight. However, he would admit to a sense of pride each time Curry's revolver appeared to leap into his hand at lightning speed, and he never grew bored by the ripple of impressed gasps and whistles at his cousin's skill from any spectators.

The confrontation had now come to the attention of everyone in the saloon and, as the seconds ticked by, nobody spoke or moved.

For Heyes, it felt like time stood still in the brief moment before the man made his move and reached for his gun, but Kid's reactions were so much faster and his hand was on his Colt a split second earlier.

It was then that it all went wrong.

Curry's gun didn't clear his holster like it usually did - in a single smooth movement - and, as a result, a .45 calibre bullet left the other man's gun first, heading straight for him.

Heyes gasped as a rip appeared across the right shoulder of Kid's blue shirt followed by a bright red stripe and he suddenly became aware of the loud pounding in his ears, his own heart almost drowning out the elevated level of noise in the saloon as people reacted to what had just taken place.

Kid stepped backward, sat down heavily in his chair and grasped the wound, pain and disbelief etched on his face in equal measure. Blue eyes searched for Heyes.

"You shot him!" Heyes yelled incredulously as he moved to Curry's side. The man had probably been nervous and, mercifully, as a result his aim was off. Another few inches to the right and Kid would have taken a slug to the chest.

"That's how we deal with cheats round these parts," stated the man, his eyes unable to hide his relief but his tone uncompromising. "Now, I suggest you and your friend git before ya'll end up the same way."

Glaring at the man, Heyes grabbed most of their money from the table before quickly escorting his cousin out into the dark street.

"Keep some pressure on that until I can get a look at it," he said, noting the bloodstain spreading down Kid's sleeve. He looked around and pointed to a bench on the boardwalk outside the mercantile which was lit by the light from the lamps in the store. Pushing his partner down onto it he pulled open the rip in his shirt.

"That's a deep crease, Kid. It's gonna need stitches."

Kid nodded, silently. Heyes tried the door of the mercantile which was still open for business and called to the owner, asking for the whereabouts of the town doctor. Less than five minutes later they were knocking on his door.

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

His arm stitched, bandaged and resting not all that comfortably in a sling, Kid Curry followed his partner into their tiny hotel room and sat, hunched over, on the edge of the bed. He hadn't uttered a word since the shooting and had barely made a sound while the Doc poured alcohol over the groove the bullet had made in his arm and stitched it. Heyes was concerned, more by his cousin's silence than his injury.

Standing with his hands on his hips the former outlaw leader studied the dejected looking blond in front of him.

"Kid, you're gonna have to talk to me sooner or later, you know," he said.

When he received no reaction Heyes hardened his tone. "Hey! I said you need to talk to me."

Slowly Kid looked up and when crestfallen blue eyes eventually met his Heyes asked, "You gonna tell me what happened over there?"

Curry shrugged and immediately sucked in a breath as pain shot down his arm at the sudden movement. "Dunno."

"Well, I'm gonna need more than that," snapped Heyes, his eyes hardening as he stared at his cousin.

Heyes knew he was being harsh but, right now, it was going to do Kid more good than sympathy. Both their lives often depended on Kid Curry's exceptional ability with a gun so he needed to get to the truth.

Kid shook his head.

"Did you hesitate? 'Cause if you did ..."

"Course I didn't hesitate." Kid sounded riled that his partner had even suggested such a thing.

Heyes caught the edge in his cousins voice. _Good_ he thought _, I might get something out of him now._

"Was he faster then? He sure didn't look the type to outdraw you."

"No, he wasn't faster."

"Then what?!"

"You ain't gonna leave it alone are ya?" Curry grumbled.

"We need to figure it out, Kid. You could've got shot up real bad or even..."

"Okay, okay! My gun didn't clear the holster cleanly." Kid gave a brittle smile. "Happy now?"

"You mean it got stuck."

Kid hung his head. "Yeah, I guess you could say it got stuck."

"Good." Heyes nodded and turned to pace but realized that the room was too small for that.

Kid looked up, his eyes wide. "What d' ya mean ' _Good'_?"

Heyes grinned. "Well, now we know that it wasn't all down to you."

"Heyes, you ain't makin' any sense."

"It's gotta be the Aztec curse."

Curry shook his head. "You're crazy, y' know that?"

"You think about it, Kid," Heyes said earnestly. "Last night, there I was sitting in the saloon playing poker with the gold stashed in the saddlebags at my feet and I lost nearly every hand. Today - no gold - and I _win_ nearly every hand."

" Pffttt."

" _And_... this morning I remembered I had one of those weird lookin' coins in my pocket so I took it out and put it with the others, just in case."

Kid sighed. "Well, I sure don't remember standin' there facin' that fella with a bag of cursed gold at my feet, Heyes. So, how do you explain that?"

The self-professed genius considered this, then a loud grumble from Kid's stomach interrupted his train of thought. Heyes looked at his cousin and sighed, his sympathy returning.

"C'mon, let's get you comfortable then I'll go get you something to eat."

Despite his injured arm and considerably bruised ego the Kid was visibly cheered at the prospect of food.

Heyes' hand reached towards his cousin's gun belt buckle only for Kid to snatch hold of it.

"What d' you think you're doin'?!"

"Just helping you get into bed. You can't sleeping in your gun belt, or your boots, and you may as well take your pants off too."

"I can do it, Heyes," griped Curry, but as he manoeuvred his arm in order to undo the belt he hissed in pain as the stitches pulled. "Dammit."

"Come on, let me do it. I have taken off your pants before, y' know."

Kid rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling in embarrassment while Heyes removed his gunbelt and pulled off his boots. Then he undid his cousin's belt and fly buttons.

"Lean back," he instructed as he seized Kid's pants at the ankles and pulled them off in one swift movement. A clatter and a flash of gold grabbed their attention and they watched in dismay as a single coin rolled a wobbly path across the floor before coming to rest by the wall.

"Did that just come out of your pocket?" asked Heyes.

Kid's mouth had suddenly gone dry and he struggled to swallow. "Uh huh. Forgot it was in there."

They exchanged a meaningful look.

"Well, that settles it," pronounced Kid. "We're gonna get rid of this gold before we end up dead."

ooooo-OOO-ooooo

The soft early dawn light saw the two ex-outlaws leave the hotel and head for the livery stable. Kid had been so eager to leave town he had even decided he would give breakfast a miss, at least that was the reason he gave. Heyes was convinced it was because his partner's arm was paining him more than it had last night and therefore dulling his appetite, but he knew Kid would never admit to that.

"I hope you can ride without opening up those stitches," said Heyes as he tacked up their two horses.

"Stop fussin' will ya. I've outrun a posse or two hurtin' more than this. Anyway, the sooner we're outta here and rid of this gold the better."

"I just can't help feeling we're taking an awful risk." Heyes involuntarily held his breath as he lifted his heavy saddlebags almost at arm's length and placed them behind his saddle.

"Now, Heyes, we agreed last night; we have to leave this gold some place where nobody else is gonna find it. We can't just leave it in the hotel room or give it to someone - that'd be like committing murder."

"I know who I'd like to give it to - that fella who shot you last night," muttered Heyes. "Yeah, okay," he nodded irritably as he caught the resolute look on his cousin's face. He really didn't know what scared him the most - having the gold anywhere near them or the thought of disposing of ten thousand dollars somewhere in the wilderness. He beckoned to his cousin. "C'mon, I'll help you mount up."

Despite complaining about Heyes' molly coddling, with his right arm tucked in a sling Curry had to admit that he probably did need a little help and, with a hefty shove to his backside, Heyes propelled his cousin into the saddle on the first attempt.

They left a couple of silver dollars on an upturned bucket in the stall where there horses had been and headed out into the cool early morning air.

The road south was a pleasant ride but both men were feeling too apprehensive to take much notice of the pretty countryside surrounding them or the golden hue of the aspens contrasting against the clear, blue fall sky. Despite the fact that the day was warming up nicely and that he was still wearing his grey jacket Heyes felt a shiver creep up his spine each time he cast a wary eye over his shoulder at his saddlebags.

Keeping to a sedate pace in the hope Kid's stitches would hold they covered a good few miles after leaving Tornford and by late morning had abandoned the main trail and turned onto a little used track which would take them up into the foothills of a small mountain range. They wanted to make sure that they were out in the middle of nowhere before deciding where to dispose of the gold.

Having gained some height they reined their horses to a halt and, while Kid leaned forward on his saddle horn sipping water from his canteen, Heyes turned his horse on the spot as he tried to gauge exactly where they were. Pushing his hat back from his eyes he stared intently back in the direction of Tornford.

"Er,... Kid," Heyes said, warily . "What does that look like to you?"

Curry turned his horse to stand alongside the sorrel and followed Heyes' gaze towards what appeared to be a small dust cloud.

"Please don't tell me that's what I think it is." Brown eyes closed tightly as if in pain.

"Yup, it looks like a posse alright," confirmed Kid.

"How many riders do you figure?"

"Can't say for sure, they're too far away. But, I don't understand it, Heyes. I didn't get the feelin' anyone in town recognized us, did you?"

"No, but I'm not gonna stick around to ask, c'mon."

Making their way off the track they pushed further up into the foothills as quickly as they could, throwing in a couple of loops and trailing the occasional branch behind them to cover their horses' tracks.

A little after noon and Heyes looked over at his cousin. He noticed a bloodstain on his clean shirt.

"You're bleeding, Kid. I think we need to stop, let you rest up."

Curry peered down at his injured shoulder. "I'm alright. Let's give it a while longer - get a good distance between us and that posse."

"But..."

" _I said_ , we need to keep going."

Heyes knew better than to argue with his cousin - especially when he was hurting - that was just plain asking for trouble. He'd try and think up another excuse to stop in a mile or two.

In exactly two miles they crested a rise and, much to their frustration, were still able to see the dust cloud headed in their direction. Heyes looked around them. He desperately wanted to check Kid's arm and make sure he hadn't torn any of his stitches. Off to their left he spotted a thick cluster of trees which bordered one end of a small lake. At least those trees would give them a modicum of cover.

"We're gonna stop. Over there," he said and sped off in the direction of the trees before Kid could raise any objection.

After helping his cousin down from his mount Heyes unbuttoned Kid's shirt and removed the bandage from around his arm. The wound was oozing a little blood but, upon closer inspection, the stitches appeared to be intact. He applied some clean cotton wadding, courtesy of the town doctor, and tightened the bandage a little more in the hope that the additional pressure would stop the bleeding.

While Heyes was doing this, Kid had been taking in their surroundings. "How deep do you figure that lake is?" he asked.

Heyes looked up from re-buttoning Kid's shirt. "We're almost in the mountains so it could be pretty deep. Why?"

"I was thinkin' it might be a good place to hide the gold. No one would find it at the bottom of a lake."

"Hmm."

"I know I'm stronger than you but..." Kid looked down at his sling, "... I ain't too good at throwin' with my left arm. Could you throw that bag of coins all the way to the middle?"

Scowling, Heyes stood up and stomped over to his horse. "I ain't exactly a weakling!" he called back over his shoulder, prompting a broad grin from the Kid. Pulling the heavy bag of coins from his saddlebags he joined his partner at the water's edge.

They both looked at the canvas bag and Heyes gave a heartfelt sigh. Despite his fears about the Aztec curse, now that it came to it he was finding it difficult to part with the gold.

"This seems wrong in so many ways," he complained. "I can't believe we're gonna throw good money away. Literally!"

"Well, it ain't _good money_ and we gotta do it."

"But..."

"Look, you're an odds player, Heyes. What do you reckon the odds are that one of us will be dead by next week if we keep it. And, if we don't end up dead, that posse will probably catch us and we'll be locked up in the Wyoming Territorial Prison for twenty years. I don't know about you, but I ain't too happy with either of those choices."

Doleful brown eyes blinked from under the brim of the black hat. Then, without another word Heyes drew back his arm and, with every bit of strength he could muster, launched the bag of gold coins in a high arc towards the middle of the lake. Both men's mouths dropped open as the bag appeared to hit the water without making a sound before plunging down into the depths.

Kid rubbed the blond curls at the back of his neck. "Sheesh, that sure was weird."

Heyes nodded silently in agreement.

Their task accomplished, the priority now was to put as many miles between themselves and the lake as quickly as possible, not to mention outrun the trailing posse. As they reached the top of another hill they caught another glimpse of the dust cloud. It appeared to have taken a right turn - west.

"Ha, ha, will ya look at that! They're not after us now we've got rid of that cursed gold," exclaimed Kid.

"That had better be why," Heyes muttered, his tone betraying an edge of bitterness. He shrugged his shoulders at Curry's questioning look.

"Well, I don't know about you, Kid, but I don't reckon I could live with myself if I'd just thrown ten thousand dollars away...for no good reason."

AUTHORS NOTE - Historians say a rich cache of gold is hidden in Utah. Hundreds of people have explored land and water to find it but still, to this day, nobody has got close to Montezuma's treasure. Some believe it's in Kanab and that it's hidden at the pond of Three Lakes Ranch.

People have died looking for it, prompting talk of a curse.


End file.
